Orissa State Conference

The third state conference of Orissa Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association was held in the state capital of Bhubaneswar on 5-6 December 2009. The delegates’ session was preceded by a rally and demonstration near the state Assembly on 5th December, in which anganwadi employees from 11 districts participated. Lambodar Nayak, president of the union, presided over the rally, which was addressed by Hemalata, general secretary of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, Bishnu Mohanty, general secretary of the Orissa state committee of CITU, Namita Panda, Sangita Ray, and other leaders of the organisation.

The delegates’ session started with the hoisting of CITU flag by Hemalata and paying of homage at the martyrs’ column. A five member presidium comprising Lambodar Nayak, Namita Panda, Vandana Sharangi, Sakuntala Senapati and Krishna Routray conducted the proceedings of the conference. Hemalata inaugurated the conference and emphasised the need to strengthen the organisation and launch big struggles to save the ICDS as well as achieve the long pending demands of the anganwadi employees. She explained the need for intensifying the struggles against the anti worker policies of the UPA government at the centre and the BJD led government in the state by joining the mainstream trade union struggles. She drew the attention of the delegates to the importance of taking up local problems of the anganwadi employees.

Kumudini, general secretary of the union, placed the report of activities after the last state conference in Balasore. 15 delegates from different parts of the state participated in the discussion on the report and made concrete suggestions on strengthening the organisation. After Kumudini summed up the discussion, the report was adopted unanimously.

Pushpa Panda, general secretary of the Orissa state committee of the AIDWA and Bishnu Mohanty from CITU greeted the conference.

The conference decided to organise a massive march to the state Assembly during the budget session next year. It unanimously elected a new team of office bearers and state committee consisting of Radha Raman Sarangi as president, Kumudini Behera as working president, Sangita Ray as general secretary, Namita Panda as organising secretary and Reshmi as the treasurer.